Vexus Assessment and Natriuresis-guided Diuretic Therapy in Acute Heart Failure

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Natriuresis-guided escalation of loop diuretics: In the intervention arm, intravenous loop diuretics will be administered twice daily, and urinary sodium concentration will be measured two hours after each dose. If urinary sodium is less than 70 mmol/L, the subsequent diuretic dose will be doubled, with additional diuretic agents added if maximum loop diuretic dosing is reached.

Study summary

This study evaluates whether natriuresis-guided diuretic therapy improves outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and severe congestion. All patients hospitalized with AHF will be screened using Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS) and randomized 1:1 to either natriuresis-guided escalation of loop diuretics or standard care. The primary endpoint, evaluated in patients with VExUS grade 3 (severe congestion), is a hierarchical composite (win ratio) of 90-day mortality, 90-day rehospitalization, and hospital length of stay. Key secondary endpoints (hierarchical) include (1) difference in win ratio between patients with VExUS 3 versus VExUS 0-2 at hospital admission (assessed by interaction testing and statistically tested only if the primary endpoint is significant) and (2) win ratio (primary endpoint) tested among patients with VExUS 0-2 at hospital admission (statistically tested only if the first key seconday endpoint is significant). Exploratory endpoints include in-hospital clinical, hemodynamic, and biochemical outcomes (mortality, eGFR, NT-proBNP, NYHA class, VExUS score, natriuresis/diuresis, and patient-reported dyspnea), associations between congestion markers (VExUS, FibroScan, lung ultrasound, clinical score, and NT-proBNP), as well as quality of life at 90 days, GDMT optimization score at discharge, and long-term time to readmission and mortality assessed through registry linkage.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Win Ratio in patients with VExUS score 3 — 90 days
  Win Ratio of hierarchical composite endpoint (90-day all-cause mortality, 90-day all-cause rehospitalization, and index hospitalization length of stay) comparing natriuresis-guided diuretic therapy versus standard of care in patients with acute heart failure and severe venous congestion (VExUS score 3) at hospital admission.

Trial sites (2)

More University Hospital, Akershus trials in Norway

Other trials for the same condition